LabVIEW

LabVIEW is a system design platform used for designing measurements and control systems. It's initials stand for Laboratory Virtual Instrumentation Engineering Workbench and it is provided by National Instruments. The user can represent hardware systems as function nodes and connect them via wires to build a graphical block diagram. The software is also used for data acquisition and industrial automation. It can run on many operating systems, i.e. Windows 7 and lower versions, Unix/Linux and Mac OS X. The latest version LabVIEW 2012 can be found in GBar Downloads. Note, however, that the LabVIEW version for Windows 7 64-bit supports less adds-ons and toolkits that the one for 32-bit.

You can download it from here. Navigate to folder LabVIEW/Fall 2012-LabVIEW 2012 and choose the version that is suitable for your system.

Windows 7 32-bit Installation

Navigate to the folder with the latest version of LabVIEW 2012 (see in folder Fall 2012) and download the files ASL Core1.iso from number 1 to 4 for the basic installation. In case, you also want to install add-on modules and toolkits, then download also the file ASL Circuits.iso.

If you are a student, download also the file DTU_Expiring Student Install 2012-2013.lic.

Otherwise, if you are a DTU staff member, then you can navigate here using your DTU credentials to obtain a license that will give you also access to online training material. The training material involves the NI Cores 1,2,3 which have duration 3,2 and 3 days respectively and can be found on http://www.ni.com/training/

1. Open the ASL Core1.iso and run the setup.exe file. If you get the warning window about the program making changes to your computer, allow it.

2. In the window where you have to choose your installation option, if you are a student select the option "I only want to evaluate products", then continue the installation from step number 4. If you are a DTU staff member, then select the option "I have serial numbers for one or more products in this installer" and select the square below with the option "Select and verify products based on my serial numbers".

If you are a student skip step 3.

3. Enter the serial number, which you got from your local administrator.

A list of the administrators for each department is provided on the downloads server in the LabVIEW folder.

4. Then you are provided with a list of installation options. For the basic installation you can just install LabVIEW 2012 English (or the language of your preference from the provided ones). You can also choose other modules to install, but you can always add them later. To choose a module you have to right click on it so as it becomes green from red.

5. Keep the checkbox checked in the Product information window.

6. When asked choose the directory you want LabVIEW to be installed. You can also leave the default directory chosen. Additionally, accept the 2 license agreements.

If you are a student skip step 7.

7. In the window you get, activate your product providing the DTU contact information you had given in ni.com to get a License.

8. Complete the rest of the installation by selecting "Next" on the windows that follow. When asked to put the 2nd dvd, browse for the ASL Core2.iso file and continue the installation. In the end you can restart your computer, so that the changes can take place. The installation for DTU staff members has ended here.

13. You can run your product for a limited time period. You will be informed on that, the first time you run your software. You will also be notified when you have 30, 7 and 1 remaining days of using the product. When the product expires you will no longer be able to launch it and you will get a relative warning on the NI license Manager.

Windows 7 64-bit Installation

Navigate to the folder with the latest version of LabVIEW 2012 and download the file LabVIEW 2012 64-bit.zip. Unzip it and run the setup.exe. Having installed the 32-bit version already in your computer doesn't affect the 64-bit installation. Thus, both installations can coexist in the same operating system. You should, however, note that the 64-bit version contains less adds-ons than the 32-bit one. Only after you have finished with the 64-bit version installation, then you can install adds-ons and drivers. For example, the Vision Development Module, which is not included in this version, can be installed, if needed, from ASLCore1.iso. Furthermore, if you want to access NI-Hardware, install the device drivers from the Device Drivers.zip.

The installation procedure is similar to the one described in the 32-bit version. However, by the end of the installation you get a message, which allows you to install device drivers if you wish to do so. You should navigate to the folder that contains the drivers, ie. the unzipped Device Drivers file.

Installing Device Drivers

Make a conservative choice when selecting drivers, as their installation sometimes can take up to several hours!

The following apply to DTU Staff members only:

At some point you will be asked to provide your NI profile information. If you haven't one, you can create it at the National Instruments website.

In the following window, select the checkbox, if you wish to benefit from the online training material offered for free to DTU Staff members.

The rest of the installation should continue normally.

Installing Adds-On Modules

Here we provide an example of installing the Vision Development Module. There are two ways to proceed:

Run the setup.exe in file ASLCore1.iso and select this module to install

Navigate to the folder ASLCore1.iso/Distributions/VDM and run the setup.exe file. This way is faster than the previous one and can be also used in case that the module you wish to install does not exist in the options list provided by the first way.

DTU Staff Members should provide their name, department and the serial number they got from their local administrator when they are asked to do so.

The software will automatically look for other modules related to the one being installed and select them.

When the following window appears, then as a DTU Staff member you should select the checkbox. If you are a student then keep the box unchecked, as you should run the software in evaluation mode.

If you have selected the above option, then in the following window select to "Automatically activate through a secure internet connection".

In the rest windows for activation of this module, provide the serial number you got from your local administrator and your NI profile information.

MacOS installation

1. In our downloads page, navigate to folder Fall 2012 - LabVIEW 2012 and download the files "Mac OSX LabVIEW 2012.iso" and "Mac OSX LabVIEW2012f1_patch.dmg" from the Mac OSX folder, as well as the file "Toolkits for Mac_Linux 501448N-06M.iso" from the Linux folder. Save them in the same folder on your computer.

2. Run the "Mac OSX LabVIEW2012f1_patch.dmg" file and choose to run the "LabVIEW 2012 Runtime Engine.mpkg".

3. Accept the license agreement terms and go through the installation procedure.

4. In the end you will get a message that the installation was successful.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: During Windows 64-bit version installation for DTU Staff members I encountered an error that the serial number is invalid. What should I do?

Answer: Cancel the procedure.You can activate the software later.

Question: During LabVIEW2012/Mac_Linux installation, when I try to mount the .iso file ''Toolkits for Mac Linux 501448N-06M.iso" there is an error that the format cannot be recognized. What should I do?

Answer: The image ''Toolkits for Mac Linux 501448N-06M.iso" consists of two files, 'disk image.hfs' and 'Apple.Apple_partition_map'. Unpack these two files by using the command '7z e'. Then, mount the image 'disk image.hfs' by using the command '# mount-t hfsplus-o loop disk_image.hfs / mnt / iso'.

Question: A student may encounter the following window when trying to activate Labview or a module of the software.

Answer: This serial number is used only for the activation of the general installation of Labview software. Afterwards, every add-on module installed, can be launched without any problem. Thus, activating it with this serial number does not have any effect on it.

Question: What is the meaning of each colour in the license Activation Manager? (used by students)